Drew Peterson Now Accused of Police Brutality in Lawsuit

As the Chicago Tribune reports, media celebrity Drew Peterson is under scrutiny for alleged police brutality complaints, as he has been named in a lawsuit against the city of Bolingbrook, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. A Bolingbrook man alleges that Peterson broke his thumb while he was being arrested on May 28 of this year.

However, the Bolingbrook Police Department maintains that Peterson was not even working on the day he is accused of participating in the alleged excessive force.

Timothy Brownlee was taken from his home on May 28 by police officers under an accusation of giving police a false name when they had arrived earlier to resolve a dispute between him and his neighbors.

He claims in his lawsuit that Peterson and other officers used racial slurs toward him and injured him when they were dragging him roughly from the police cruiser to the station. He indicated that the officers became upset when they realized that he had called his brother from his cell phone from the back of the squad car.

The lawsuit seeks damages for, among other things, Brownlee's inability to work at his profession as a barber for several months due to his personal injury.

The Bolingbrook police department officially stated that Brownlee was belligerent and uncooperative with officers who attempted to fingerprint, photograph and remove him from his cell. They agree that force was used on Brownlee, but disagree that it was excessive or unnecessary.

In a statement released on the incident and ensuing lawsuit, the department asserted that Peterson's absence at the arrest of Brownlee could be proved by video evidence available.

Peterson has become a household name since the October 28 disappearance of his wife Stacy Peterson. Drew Peterson, who retired from the police force in November, is a suspect in this ongoing missing persons case. Stacy Peterson's body is believed to be located in the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal near Romeoville, Illinois.

The Chicago Police Department, geographically near the jurisdiction of the Bolingbrook Police Department, has been under fire for a good part of 2007 for many news reports involving police brutality complaints and misconduct by Chicago police officers.